Material application devices are known which comprise:                a protective tube extending in a longitudinal direction between first and second ends, the second end being open,        an interchangeable cartridge contained in the protective tube, comprising a cup and a stick of material, said stick of material extending in said longitudinal direction between a proximal end inside the cup and a distal end at a distance from said cup,        a control mechanism, adapted to move the stick of material in the protective tube in the longitudinal direction so that at least a portion of the stick of material protrudes from the second end of the protective tube, said control mechanism comprising a sliding element to which the cup is removably attached.        
Document GB-A-655 718 describes an example of such an application device, intended in particular for lipstick. In this known device, the cup of the cartridge has radially projecting tabs on its lip that are engageable with grooves arranged at the open end of a refill tube. The refill tube contains the cartridge before it is placed in the application device, and also allows removing the used cartridge from the application device.
One disadvantage of this known device is that the radial tabs of the cup are projecting. Because of this, these radial tabs impose constraints on the design of the application device and limit its compactness. In addition, said radial tabs could be a nuisance to the user when applying the material, particularly when the stick of material is at the end of its service life.